Arkansas Medical Marijuana Group Submits Signatures

By
Chuck Bartels, Associated Press
on August 15, 2012

Backers of an initiative that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Arkansas submitted more than 74,000 additional signatures Monday to the secretary of state’s office, though only about a quarter of them need to be valid to get the issue on the November ballot.

The group Arkansans for Compassionate Care was given time to gather more signatures after it submitted 65,413 names on July 5. Only 36,495 names from that batch were certified as being from registered voters, leaving organizers shy of the required 62,507 verified names.

The group’s treasurer, Melissa Fults, said organizers learned more about the process after submitting its first batch of signatures. This time, she said, they made sure that volunteers and paid canvassers asked people when and where they last voted before asking them to sign the petition to help ensure the signees were registered voters.

“I don’t think there’s much of a chance we won’t” make the Nov. 6 ballot, Fults said.

The secretary of state’s office must verify the signatures and is expected to rule within 10 days on whether the proposal qualifies for the ballot.